Blue supermoon: What is it, when it peaks and how to see it
Amateur astronomers and idiom lovers will both have reason to rejoice this week: It’s the once in a blue moon when an actual blue moon will rise in the sky.
And it’s not just any blue moon. It’s a rare blue supermoon. The Earth’s lunar sidekick will seem extra big and bright as it reaches its fullest stage on Wednesday.
We won’t see this particular lunar twofer again until 2037, so here’s what you need to know to make the most of it.
First things first: What is a supermoon?
A perigean full moon, better known as a supermoon, happens when the moon is full during the closest point in its orbit around Earth.
According to NASA, the moon’s typical orbit ranges between 226,000 and 251,000 miles from Earth, but variances can bring it a bit closer or farther away. Only the closest three or four approaches each year qualify as supermoons.
The last supermoon fell earlier this month, on Aug. 2, inspiring photographers from all over the world to document the big and bright spectacle, from New York’s moody skyline to light-filled late night soccer matches in South Africa.
Yet the supermoon coming up this week will be even bigger and brighter — the biggest and brightest of 2023 — because the moon will be “exceptionally close” to Earth at 222,043 miles, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac — nearly 17,000 miles closer than average
The NPR post continues here.
